Turkey on a roll

Who thought I would be a Turkey sandwich?! And I just love the fact that my mortal enemy is a tuna sandwich…

You Are a Turkey Sandwich

Conservative and a bit shy, you tend to stick with what you know and trust.You are very introverted, and you prefer to blend in whenever possible.Though you may be hard to know well, anyone who does know you considers you a true friend. Your best friend: The Ham Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Tuna Fish Sandwich

A cold swim

Living in Scandinavia one gets use to swimming in cold water. At least as a child. Now as an adult the water has to be above 21-22 degrees before I dare to go in. Something that adventurer Lewis Gordon Pugh probably thinks is very warm. On July 15 he will go swimming at the North Pole to raise awareness of what’s happening at the Artic.

He will be the first person to swim there, in water temperatures of minus 1.8C (28.7F) - the coldest waters a human has ever swum in, a spokesman said.

He is making the one kilometre swim in an area that should be frozen over to demonstrate the devastating impact of climate change.

I’m getting cold just reading about it, but I really hope this will make people understand that the Artic is melting and that we have to be careful with Mother Earth. She’s the only one we got.

Bad muffins

A couple of years ago my favourite coffee and muffin place opened up their own muffin bakery. Quite expensive ones, but oh so delicious. Thankfully on a street that I don’t pass every day though. Around this time last year when I started my new job I noticed that they were opening up another shop around the corner form the office. The shop is even bigger than the original one and they have loads of other goodies as cakes and pastries. Very nice indeed, but not good for a person like me who has no character when it comes to baked goods. Still though the shop is not on my home. Going down that street means I have done a deliberate choice as well as walking into the shop.

A month ago or so I noticed that they were opening up another shop on my ordinary way home. Bad, bad news! Last week was the grand opening and today I went in there. Just to buy a banana nut bar, but I already know that I will become one of their most frequent and loyal customers. It’s so bad!!!

I’ve noticed more and more that I’m falling back into bad habits using food a crutch and companion that never fails me. Those habits I worked so hard to get rid of and now I’m doing it again. Excuses? I don’t know, it is just happening and I’m getting lazy about myself or maybe bored. Things changed a lot, but five years down the line I’m bored and miss that special spark that kept me going. I need to have one of those defining moments again when I’m realise what I’m doing to my body and myself. It happened right after I turned 30. Will it happen again now when I turn 35?

Direct translation

Being fluent in English (more or less) there area still times when your brain has a total meltdown and one is lost for words literally. Sometimes doing a direct translation from Swedish into English works and sometimes not and people will have a good laugh.

Translating the Stockholm subway map into English is probably more fun for Swedes than English speakers, but some of the names are real funny.

Lost and confused

The project I’ve more or less been working constantly with for the last three months or so at work was put on hold on Friday. Not very surprisingly I might add, but after going at such a high speed for the last months I feel kind of lost and confused. What am I suppose to do now? It’s almost like I’ve been inside my own little plastic bubble and now I need to get back to reality.

An old boss of mine once called it post project stress or depression. You’ve worked very hard and concentrated with one thing for a long time, and then it’s over. Even though you know you have tons of other things to attend to you really don’t know what to do. Hence you feel lost and confused. I’m also extremely frustrated and disappointed that the project had to be halted, but that’s a totally different story. Things always happens for a reason…

Anyhow, so this week I’ve decided just to enjoy the fact that I’m not particular busy and can leave the office at normal hours. I can do whatever I feel like in the evenings. Like going to the gym, where I haven’t been since early April… Ugh! But tomorrow it is time for another wine testing and on Thursday I’m meeting up with some friends for drinks and dinner. Maybe next week… Promise!

The three dreaded Ps

All of us have probably more than once been the victim of a dead boring Power Point Presentation and wished we where somewhere else. Now some Australian researchers have actually found out that there is a biological reason behind this feeling

Humans just don't like absorbing information verbally and visually at the same time - one or the other is fine but not both simultaneously.

This clip really shows you how to do. Or maybe not…

Life After Death by PowerPoint

Thriving on intellectuals

Johan pointed it out to me when we had lunch last week. Jacki Danicki wrote a post about it. I think I mention it to Philip on Monday night and to Michael as well on Tuesday. (Or was that at another time? I’m so bad for not remembering what was talked about less than a week ago…)

I thrive on intellectuals and clever conversation. Intellectuals challenge my mind and way of thinking. They constantly keep me on my toes, which in the end makes me feel very much alive and a happy woman. Intellectuals are just plain good for my wellbeing.

Happiness is…

A free afternoon, a big bowl of popcorn and the latest issues of Marie Claire and Red Magazine.

A risotto bar

Leaving Soho House slightly tipsy at 17:30 I had one hour before meeting Michael for dinner. My original plan had been to visit my favourite shops after meeting Johan and then even have plenty of time to go back to the hotel and drop off my computer and other stuff. But I guess not…

My first stop was Origins at Neal Street. Not that I needed anything, but being so close I just had to pop by. And yes I did buy some new products. Another mega mushroom product and a peppermint aromatherapy bath liquid. Both very nice I should add. Cloths shopping at Next was second on my agenda, but after having problem trying on two very cute skirts I realised that I was really not in a state for cloths shopping. Some strong coffee was more in order. So thank God for Caffé Nero and the best espresso this side of Milan.

Feeling like having Italian food Michael and I walked up to Goodge Street trying to find a restaurant Philip recommend. But when I noticed a sign saying Ooze Risotto Bar I could not walk another step. We just had to go there. Risotto is one of my favourite dishes. That creamy rice and cheese are just sooooo comforting and can change a bad day into a good one. Not that Tuesday was a bad day, on the contraire, but nothing beats that feeling of comfort.

We started out with bruschetta of the day, which was one classical with tomatoes and olive oil, another one with olive paste and last but not least one with mascarpone and fresh figs. That last one was just a perfect combo of sour and sweet.

For main course Michael went for another today’s special with sausages from Naples (or Venice) while I decided to have red wine risotto cooked with grilled sirloin strips and rocket. Another perfect dish that more or less took my to heaven and back.

Trying to wean off chocolate I opted for panacotta with fresh raspberries and blueberries for dessert. Another perfect dish that concluded one of the best Italian meals I had in a long time. Everything was just so pure and simple, but very tasty and made with lots of love and passion. I will return for sure.

Soho House lunch

On Tuesday I met up with Johan, an old colleague from two jobs ago, at Soho House for lunch and as it turned in to some late afternoon wine drinking. Our main reason for meeting was business, but not having seen each other for almost two years we rather quickly went on to talking about what have happened in our lives since the last time we met. Hence the wine…

Having heard about Soho House before I have to admit that I was tad bit disappointed, but still it was a very cool house. I can imagine that for people like Johan who spend a lot of time working in London, New York and LA (where the next house is going to open) it’s a great place to work, relax and to entertain. It is of course always nice to have a place to go to where everybody knows your name.

Sitting there we both laughed and realised that we have come a far way from that draughty corner office with an extra heater where we met for the first time eight years ago working on a millennium site. The first project of many to come. Then the last time we met was on an airplane to Paris and now in London, so I think we have done rather well. We are not the wiz kids anymore though, but we love to believe so…

Happy birthday Daddy!

Thinking about you today. I will always love you.

Interesting

I never sleep well the first night in a hotel, usually tossing and turning because of unfamiliar sounds. But last night I just went straight to sleep and slept all through the night until the alarm went off. That has never happened before. So either I was exhausted or the hotel is becoming my second home. Hm, really don’t like that last one…

Or maybe my conscious was clear. That’s what my old granny used to say. A clear conscious is the best pillow… Anyhow I slept like a log which was very nice.

Off to London

It’s time to go to London again. 5th time this year I believe. Back by the end of the week with lots of things to blog about.

Ain’t she a beauty?!

The ship Götheborg arrived in London yesterday afternoon. After being gone for almost 2 years she's now on her last stop before going home in early June. After being built here (for 10 years) and see her leave in October 2005 she’s very much part of Gothenburg and we are all very proud of her.

So having her arriving in my favourite city made me very happy and hopefully I’ll get so see her next week at the West India Docks.

The Breakup video

Another great find from the Viral Garden. According to Mack everybody is talking about this video, so I guess must be very much out of the loop since I’ve never heard about it before. Eeek! Anyhow it’s a funny clip and I hate to admit that this is very much the truth in the business nowadays.

Chocoholic

Hello my name is Cathy and I’m addicted to chocolate.

Last week my friends from Ireland and UK gave me lovely box of Belgian Ducdo chocolates. Being a good girl I put the box away in a cupboard. But just knowing it was there made me take a peak at it every night itching to break the wrapping. Then last night I couldn’t take it anymore. I opened the box and ate the whole thing while watching telly. It was lovely, but really chocolate like that should not beat eaten all at once. One is suppose to savour every piece and enjoy the moment. Not me! I just have to admit that I’m addicted to chocolate and can’t keep it at home. Out of sight, out of mind is the only thing that works for me.

Quote of the day

A great marketer speaks with the voice of the customer.

~ Mack Collier, The Viral Garden ~

Hotel Chocolat

At the first glimpse just looking at the name I thought this would be the perfect place for me stay at… Or really now to go shopping at, but I would probably lose it just from seeing some much chocolate at the same place.

Day off

Today is Ascension Day, which nowadays means Bank Holiday and a day to relax. Something very much needed after spending the last five working days cooped up in a conference room at a hotel. Five days of long discussions and negotiations trying to come to a common understanding regarding a project. We didn’t make it all the way though, but somewhere halfway, which in this case still is pretty good thinking about the sort of discussions we’ve been having. If either of us weren’t this passionate about things the company would never have picked us to trying to do this. So we did well I think. Walking home pretty beat and tired yesterday afternoon I got to think about the Rudyard Kipling quote ~ East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet ~ which very much summarise the whole thing. We are just different.

Tomorrow is back to work again and trying to bring some order into everything that has been put on hold the last week(s). Then on Monday it’s back to London. I guess this is called being busy.

Home

Every time I hear this song I’m back in Paris and living in a somewhat of a dream.

~ I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life. Just like I stepped outside when everything was going right. ~

Or at least that’s what it felt back then. One easily gets used to new and better things in life.

Leave it to the cabbies

In all big cites it seems like cabbies are the one who know what really is going on. In London now the cabbies are growing pessimistic about the economy according to a recent study.

In a quarterly poll of 500 cabbies by U.K.-based corporate- recovery specialist Begbies Traynor, the drivers said traffic between the City, London's financial district, and London's airports has declined and the number of calls to take bankers home from the office at night is on the wane.

"It looks to me like a worsening of attitudes,'' said Nick Hood, senior London partner at Begbies Traynor, in a telephone interview yesterday. "There are signs of battle fatigue out there in the economy.''

Forty-three percent of the drivers in the survey said they were less optimistic about their business compared with three months ago. Only 19 percent said they were more optimistic. The average length of fares has declined, and the number of riders picked up each day has fallen, according to the survey.

The poll has been done quarterly for three years, though it isn't scientific, Hood said. "It's an interesting mirror of what's going on in London's economy," he said.

It looks like they might be on to something. Oxford Economics reported last month the City’s gross domestic product will only expand with 3,6% this year. Compared to last years figures of 4,4%.

Scary facts

A recent study in Sweden shows that Swedish teens aged 15-20 hardly does not know anything about communism.

• 95% know about Auschwitz, but 90% do not know what Gulag was.
  
  
• 90% do not know which foreign capital is the closet to Stockholm.
  
  
• 50% do not know that Berlin is the capital of a country neighbouring the Baltic Sea.
  
  
• 82% do not believe that Belarus is a dictatorship.
  
  
• 56% said, "don’t know" when asked if societies based on market economy is a democracy.
  
  
• 43% think that communism killed fewer than one million (a fifth think it killed fewer than 10 000).
  
  
• 40% believe that communism has increased global wealth.
  
  
• 22% believe communism is a democratic form of government.

Maybe I’m just getting old, but to me this is total ignorance for what only happen 20 years ago in countries next to us. And by not knowing history it is very likely that some day it will be repeated again.

Chocolate cups

Having some friends from the UK and Ireland over for dinner on Friday I decided to make the ultimate chocolate fix – chocolate cups. A recipe I found in Jamie Oliver’s cookbook Return of the Naked Chef a long time ago, but haven’t gotten around trying.

Just like it said the recipe was very easy to make using cream, good quality chocolate, egg yolks, butter and a splash of cognac. Pour into espresso cups and then store over night in refrigerator.

The result was pure divine and quite rich for even a hard core chocolate addict, but still a perfect ending to a meal. Being so simple to make I’m pretty sure I’ll do it again and maybe together with the orange and polenta biscuits that Jamie Oliver recommend in the recipe.

Quote of the day

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.

~ Unknown ~

Swedish Model from the outside

For many decades the Swedish Model was a real-life Utopia for people all over the world. A country with a Social Democratic government that worked, a nation combining high rates of economic growth with unprecedented levels of equality. The best of two worlds so to speak. But it all came crashing down in the mid 1990’s with high unemployment and both finance and economy crisis. Since then the Swedish Model is often more ridiculed than admired.

So I guess it has to be a foreigner to point of that the Swedish Model was good in some areas. Michael writes:

This is something that admirers of the "Swedish Model" often neglect, but Sweden’s commitment to free trade was what actually made it rich, and what made its industrial companies so good.

Very true. Sweden wouldn’t be a rich and industrialised country without the Swedish Model and free trade. Gunnar and Alva Myrdal were really on to something back in the 1930’s.

New job for old PM

As old readers of this blog know, I’m not very fond of our former PM Göran Persson. Being on opposite sides politically I can take, but there is just something about him as person I can’t stand. Some people you just like some you don’t.

Since losing the election last autumn and retiring as chairman for the Socialdemocrats Göran Persson has more less been away from the media spotlight or almost. A documentary on national television earlier this year that really cemented already well-known facts about him.

Today it was announced that Göran Persson’s new job is going to be senior PR-consultant. This at a PR company who has close ties with Moderaterna (Conservative and totally opposite on the political scale). Interesting.

So what is there to say?! The man obviously needs a job… But the funny thing is that Göran Persson as PM several times slammed PR-companies and lobbyist. Even in his last speech as party chairman in March this year he was harsh.

"Lobbyists don't work for what is new. They work for what is old. The solutions of the future do not have lobbyists. It is the solutions of past that have lobbyists."

It is amazing what a difference two months can do.

Sunday sightseeing

Michael, a friend of Philip, was in town yesterday so most of the day was spent walking around and looking at the sights. Something one usually rarely does, but it is fun to be a tourist in your own city.

After some coffee we walked (or really climbed about 100 steps) up the Stigberget hill and reached the Masthuggs church where you have more or less a 360-degree panorama of the whole city. The weather was lovely, even though a bit windy, so the view was a usual magnificent. Every time I’m up there I know exactly why I love this city so much. The ocean, the ships, the hills, the green parks and of course its people. A rare and unusual breed originating from Holland and Scotland in the 17th century.

Coming down the hill we walked along the harbour for a while before heading towards downtown and the moats/canals that are left. There we jumped on the tour boat Paddan (the toad) for an hour of waterside sightseeing. The weather decided to change the minute we got out in the harbour. Cloudy, windy and freezing cold. Going against the current we also got a feel and taste of the salt water.

Defrosting over some coffee at Ljunggrens Café, which has been around since 1889, we decided that the next stop would be the amusement park Liseberg and the wood rollercoaster Balder that opened a couple of years ago. Being one of very few people above the age of 20 we buckled up for a bit of a ride. A couple of minutes later the ride is over and your heart is beating like a steam hammer from excitement and fear at the same time.

Slowly getting our bodies and minds back to normal it was time to get some dinner. We ended up at La Gondola, an old favourite Italian restaurant of mine. The place has been around since the early 1970’s and going there you know exactly what to expect. Good food and good service for a decent price. A homey place where you can always go without getting disappointed. And while the sun set Michael and I had a delicious three main course meal along with some excellent Sicilian wine. An excellent way to end a very nice and fun sightseeing Sunday.

Philly salmon

Going home from London a couple of weeks I found a recipe in either The Times or The Daily Telegraph (I just don’t remember) that simply said take a salmon fillet, spread Philadelphia cream cheese garlic on top, sprinkle some lemon zest, chives and bread crumbs on top and bake in oven until golden. So last night I did and it was plain lovely. To go with the salmon I made stir-fried mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, squash mixed with risoni, baby spinach and a touch of garlic in the end. Very much a perfect dish to go with the fish.

Later on surfing around I found the Philadelphia cream cheese recipe collection with both my salmon recipe and loads of other yummy things to try. Something I’m certain I will since cream cheese I keep around all the time.

Email do and don’t

Email is now part of everyday life and each day we receive and send plenty of them. But communicating through email isn’t as easy as one might think. In the book Send: The How, Why, When and When Not of Email by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe explain how we with a little mindfulness and a few simple rules can all avoid e-mail disasters. Well worth thinking about before hitting the Send-button the next time.

To:
Don’t confuse the "To" field with "Cc". For example, if you want to thank one person – but you want other people to knowabout it – put the other people in the "Cc" line. If you cram them all in the “To” field,the person being thanked is likely to feel slighted.

To is not Cc:
If you just want to make sure that people are kept in the loop, then they don’t belong in the "To" field; they belong in a . . . "Cc".

What a "Cc" says is simply this: I want you to know what’s going on, even though you probably don’t have to do anything about it.Because its purpose is so murky, a “Cc” is a political and hierarchical minefield.

A Few Words on Being Mean
If you’re going to be mean, it’s best not to do it on e-mail, for practical reasons as well as cosmic ones.

Angry EmailsWhen it comes to angry emails, ask yourself the following before hitting the Send key:would you deliver the same message, in the same words, if you were within punching distance?

The Eight Deadly Sins of E-mail
1. The e-mail that’s unbelievably vague: "Remember to do that thing."
2. The e-mail that insults you so badly you have to get up from your desk: "HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE DONE THAT THING?!!!!"
3. The e-mail that puts you in jail: "Please tell them that I asked you to sell that thing when it hit $70."
4. The e-mail that’s cowardly: "Here’s the thing: you’re being let go."
5. The e-mail that won’t go away: "Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: that thing."
6. The e-mail that’s so sarcastic you have to get up from your desk: "Smooth move on that thing. Really smooth."
7. The e-mail that’s too casual: "Hiya! Any word on that admissions thing?"
8. The e-mail that’s inappropriate: "Want to come to my hotel room to discuss that thing?"

Fast cities, fast lives

Copenhagen and Madrid are the fastest cities in Europe when it comes to the speed of pedestrians, but the fastest movers in the world live in Singapore according to research done by University of Hertfordshire. New York City, the city that claims it never sleeps, ended up on the 8th place among 32 big cities in the world.

E-mail, text messages and a need to be available 24 hours a day seems to be the blame for all of us speeding up the pace.

One of the researcher professors Richard Wiseman is worried by the rising need for speed.

"We just have this feeling that we should be producing and active all of the time," he said. "That is fuelled by the email, text, mobile phone culture."

"But there has to be an upper limit, because if this trend continues, we will arriving places before we have set off."

Just haven gotten a smartphone three weeks ago I’ve realised how easy it is to get caught in that new technology of texts, emails and being available 24/7, especially with the emails. Both good and bad in a sense I guess. But still somehow I have fallen in love with my HTC S710. It’s an amazing little gadget!

Laughter, thought and crying

In search for a bit of inspiration today I found this great quote/speech by basketball coach Jim Valvano at Ben Casnocha’s blog.

To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. No. 1 is laugh. You should laugh every day. No. 2 is think. You should spend some time in thought. And No. 3 is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.

It makes you think, and indeed it is something real special.

Tech parade and bourgogne

Last night being Walpurgis Eve and the weather sunny and not too cold I meet up with some friends to watch the annual parade from the Technical University. Having lived next to the campus for almost 15 years now it’s just something one does every year if the weather is good. Being a student it is something you do regardless of the weather since the whole Walpurgis Eve (or day) is spent partying.

The floats were, as usual both funny and ironic, and one just has to marvel the technical inventions from the student, a car suddenly splitting in two halves, a suitcase on wheels etc. It is a tech university after all…

Back home again I made my (now almost famous) asparagus risotto. A lot of stirring though when you make it for six people. To drink we had decided on Kimmeridgien Bourgogne. A very crisp and dry wine with lot of mineral tones which went perfect with the creaminess of the risotto and the freshness of the asparagus. A meal to celebrate the arrival of the spring which Walpurgis Eve really is all about.